Re-Test
by Shady's Back
Summary: Upon hearing that all regulars but three were slaughtered, Yu Han Sung asked if there was an irregular or a Princess of Zahard among them. "Both. And a candidate slayer from FUG, as well."


**A fanfic mostly comprised of snippets and the whims of an author with no idea what she's doing.**

**1. Jyu Viole Grace**

* * *

A young girl, short, freckled, and blond, sneaked another glance at her companion. The oversized hood he donned hid his features, but she could barely make out dark, long bangs and the silver glint of an upper-face mask slightly less intricate than what one would find at a masquerade. He had a feminine stature, one that could easily be mistaken for female. The cloak he bore only further obscured his gender.

She struggled for a moment, trying to recall the name that Headon had uttered. Something similarly androgynous, to suit his physical appearance. It was...

"Jyu Viole Grace, right?"

The only response she received was a silent nod.

* * *

From the second the test began, there was not a single moment in which Rachel did not find her mind reeling from the abilities of the wiry man Headon had chosen to guard her.

From behind them, a strange creature, eight feet tall with a beak and scales, charged, a large axe in his talons. But Viole needed only to raise his hand in his direction before three different beams of light impaled his limbs, leaving him alive, but incapacitated.

Like this he mercifully disposed of every opponent who dared to underestimate him enough to approach. And the bodies surrounding them continued to pile up, although they'd yet to even move from their starting location. That was a choice Rachel found some relief in, for her legs had frozen, too busy shaking to walk.

The scent of blood that clung to them attracted any regular who was thirsty for a fight.

Yet what they found was no fight, but a slaughter.

* * *

Androssi tossed a careless glance at the wounded man grappling her ankles. He muttered delirious words.

"_I will...reach the top...the tower..."_

"Dream on."

She spoke as her heel came down on his skull. She wiped the blood off her shoes with the sweater on his back; it was a parting gift his wife spent six months knitting.

She then turned her attention to the horizon, where two hooded figures stood among a sea of corpses. The only thing her eyes could focus on, however, were the five bright blue orbs milling around them.

"That's a lot of bangs."

Like a magnet, she found herself drawn to their direction, spine tingling in both excitement and a tint of fear. Behind her, the man on the ground finally flickered out of consciousness, his last thoughts being of two monstrous beings that had no business swimming with sardines.

* * *

The man in the hood felt his body freeze when he recognized the girl holding out her hand. He barely registered her words.

"You guys look like a tough bunch. I'm Androssi, but you can just call me princess."

When he failed to take the offered appendage, Rachel stepped up to the plate, her tone teeming with cordiality.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rachel. This man is Jyu Viole Grace."

"Grace? As is Luslec Mirchea Grace of FUG? How unlucky. To be born with that kind of name under this kind of empire."

She looked in his direction with expectant eyes, and Viole found the strength to unstick his throat. Carefully, he spoke in a voice much deeper than he was used to.

"It isn't a big deal."

Rachel buried her surprise at hearing him speak for the first time, and not for her, but a stranger that had waltzed in literally seconds prior. She noted with suspicion the sudden rigidity in his back.

In the next moment, the buzzer ended the test, as well as her train of thought.

"Uh. Congratulations to our winners! You guys are some real damn monsters! Thanks to you, I'm probably gonna get in trouble with my boss now..."

Quant signed off, and in a blink, the blue sky was replaced by a tall ceiling. The three victors found themselves the sole occupants of a large gymnasium clearly designed to hold far more people. At the front of a room, a raised stage loomed over them, empty.

"Well? What now?" Androssi didn't bother to hide her irritation, "Are they just leaving us here?"

Rachel too fiddled with the hem of her hood, "With so few people passing, how will we take our test?"

"Don't worry. They'll find a place for us," Viole was the only one who seemed not the least bit worried.

In fact, it was the absolute certainty he carried with his statement that was the most worrisome.

* * *

"So participating in this Crown Game will serve to merge you with the other district," A beautiful blond man sat across a dark chestnut table and sipped a mug of cheaply made coffee, "Of course, you'll have to opportunity to reap the rewards of the bonus game."

One Jyu Viole Grace shot him an unseen glare.

* * *

"I'm not really interested. Are you?"

Androssi casually tossed the remark over her shoulder as she watched a green lizard girl brandish an overpowered weapon at a group of weaklings not even worthy of its blade.

"In what?" Rachel asked, leaning against the back wall of their alcove. Jyu Viole Grace sat at her side, playing with a ball of shinsoo in his hand.

"The reward, I mean. I'd rather climb the old fashioned way. With my dear niece."

"The crown doesn't interest us either."

"You're speaking for both yourself and Viole?"

"That's right. My goals are, by extension, Mr. Grace's as well."

"Lucky you. Having a man by your side to do your bidding."

Androssi cocked her head, trying to make out the face under the hood. A well defined jaw, smooth skin, and pretty lips. But the top half of his face was still obscured by cold metal.

"Well, from what I can see, you seem like a pretty handsome guy. I might even let you go on a date with me."

From underneath the cloak, Viole shifted almost imperceptibly. Almost. Rachel's eyes narrowed.

On the other side of the bars, the green lizard girl placed a golden crown upon her head and took the throne.

* * *

Five minutes later, she abandoned said throne and blasted into another team's cell.

Rachel turned to the commotion with a furrow in her brow.

"What's up with that?" Androssi pressed her cheek against her palm, amusement littering her voice, "Is she really trying to take the Black March here and now?"

"Black March?" The shorter girl questioned, the name on her tongue unfamiliar to her.

"One of the 13 Month Series. Supposed to be only given to real princesses like me. Looks like my niece got her hands on Green April. And the shinsoo I sensed earlier...definitely Black March."

"She won't kill them, will she?"

"No. Looks like the ranker's making a move."

Androssi gestured at the tall figure, who had in a split second moved from the balcony to the floor. He too disappeared into the other team's cell.

"What a dumb thing for her to do. Now she's gone and pissed off the ranker," Androssi spoke with no sympathy, then turned to the last member of their team, "You've been quiet this whole time. What do you think of this?"

But Jyu Viole Grace merely continued to stare at the single bang in his hand.

* * *

"We'll be going out next. It's the last round," Rachel told him, knowing he understood her command despite not giving any sign of acknowledgement, "We won't take the crown. Defend the throne."

She stood and pulled her hood tightly over her head, as Androssi cast hers aside. Viole finally extinguished the bang in his palm and turned to the arena, resting his gaze on the young boy sitting at its center.

"Let's go."

**Review and critiques are appreciated.**


End file.
